as in to trigger
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
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Recent Examples of touch off
His resignation, handed in just hours before his arrest, has touched off a political firestorm at City Hall as the mayor and council jostle over how to fill Torres’ seat when his resignation becomes effective Nov. 27.
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Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
The early strategizing underscored the magnitude of the justices' landmark decision, which rattled the nation's capital and now appears poised to touch off years of lawsuits that could redefine the U.S. government's role in modern American life.
—Tony Romm The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 1 July 2024
The trip has touched off a House Oversight Committee investigation and even a call from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the U.S. for organizing the trip.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
The tightening presidential race has touched off a wave of tax planning by ultra-wealthy investors, especially given fears of a higher estate tax, according to advisors and tax attorneys.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off 
Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
The early strategizing underscored the magnitude of the justices' landmark decision, which rattled the nation's capital and now appears poised to touch off years of lawsuits that could redefine the U.S. government's role in modern American life.
—Tony Romm The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 1 July 2024
The trip has touched off a House Oversight Committee investigation and even a call from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for Zelensky to fire his ambassador to the U.S. for organizing the trip.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
The tightening presidential race has touched off a wave of tax planning by ultra-wealthy investors, especially given fears of a higher estate tax, according to advisors and tax attorneys.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Her downfall triggered the implosion of the party and a victory by liberals in presidential and general elections.Cynthia Kim, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
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Either of these changes can trigger tire pressure warnings in newer vehicles, but Koulloukian says not to panic.Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In most cases, the memo said, home alarm systems were not activated and most of the homes were unoccupied at the time.Sara Ruberg, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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When the fire broke out the night of Dec. 9, school officials started communicating with students around 11 p.m. and activated the shelter-in-place protocol about two hours later, spreading the word through text messages, email, social media, and by going door to door.Amy Taxin and Eric Thayer, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The shooting of Brian Thompson sparked two very separate reactions around his killer: a manhunt and admiration from certain parts of the internet, with the latter creating concern among security experts that this killing might inspire copycat events.Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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The fatal shooting outside an investors’ conference sparked an exhaustive search, with New York police combing the city for evidence and poring through thousands of hours of video footage.John Miller, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Slice has released exclusive apps that accommodate popular contactless payment solutions and enable convenient QR technology to drive self-service experiences among other improvements.Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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Advertisement Brian Donnelly drove from Hollywood to witness the ceremony.Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The shooting set off a massive search, with investigators now offering a total reward of $60,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
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The 64-year-old Unity Township, Pa., woman set off hours earlier in her car, along with her 5-year-old granddaughter, who was later found safe and asleep inside her vehicle.Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The distillery is partially powered by solar energy, and water is recycled for irrigation.Rachel King, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
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But the fact that its most high-profile phones are still powered by Qualcomm chipsets is an indication of what an incredibly specialized field this is.Andrew Williams, WIRED, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The team’s pattern of drafting college hitters who should move quickly says that that is not their mindset, so go spend some of Arte’s money.Keith Law, The Athletic, 11 Dec. 2024
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The trial was moved from Jerusalem for undisclosed security reasons and convened in an underground courtroom.Reuters, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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